Here’s a wind for broken limbs.
No feast in the shiver of thorns —
no feast in the clouds clawing past.
Mute wreaths’ bell-mouths roll down the road;
trees’ bodies rattle in visqueen shrouds.
Now for the discount and the chorus,
the clappers wrapped and remaindered,
the last change hanging ragged, unrung.
There is yet a trickle in the timber by the highway;
in the yard a hawk stands watch, winding its complications.
The turning hand will keep its habit,
tallying the fancies of this weather-swept world.
Take up the year’s cold handle, then —
The tool warms in the working.

Matthew Battles, Hilobrow's cofounder, has written about language, history, and the natural world for many publications. When he makes poems, he puts them here. A fellow at Harvard's Berkman Center for Internet and Society, he's also the author of Library, An Unquiet History.

HiLoBooks has rediscovered 10 lost classics from science fiction's Radium Age (1904–33) era. A gorgeous paperback series — collect them all while you can!

NEW!

NEW! Coauthored by HiLobrow's Joshua Glenn. "Dozens of recommendations for games and apps to check out, plus ideas for how to 'hack' said games to keep them fresh." — Publishers Weekly | "Readers both young and old will find something appealing here, as there is a game or activity to fit every mood and every game-playing preference." — Library Journal